Pica

Pica is the compulsive eating of nonnutritive substances and can have serious medical implications. Although it has been described since antiquity, there has been no single agreed-upon explanation of the cause of such behavior. Databases from MEDLINE and PSYCH-Lit were searched from 1964 to the present to find relevant sources of information using the key words "pica," "obsessive-compulsive disorder," "iron-deficiency anemia," and "nutrition." Pica is observed most commonly in areas of low socioeconomic status and is more common in women (especially pregnant women) and in children. To our knowledge, the prevalence of pica is not known. Numerous complications of the disorder have been described, including iron-deficiency anemia, lead poisoning, and helminthic infestations. Pica is probably a behavior pattern driven by multiple factors. Some recent evidence supports including pica with the obsessive-compulsive spectrum of disorders. Many differe...

Background: Pica is an increased appetite/craving for food or non-food substances like clay, and chalk, and is strongly associated with iron deficiency (ID) anemia. This study assessed pica practices among non-pregnant mothers and their children, 12-to-59 months, in an anaemia endemic population in Ghana. Subjects and methods: A cross-sectional quantitative survey was conducted in two randomly selected districts in Northern Ghana. The researchers developed semi-structured questionnaires with components on pica practice, history and experiences and administered via structured face-to-face interviews with mothers (N= 161) and all their children 6-59 months. Of this population, 132 mothers had children 12-to-59 months (N= 139) in April 2012. Pica practice among children was reported by their mothers. Data was analysed using SPSS version 23.0. Results: Few mothers (3%) spontaneously reported pica (for uncommon food and/or non-food substances) at the time of the interview, however, 16 (12.1%) mothers with pica were confirmed after further probing. Twelve (8.6%) children were reported to have ingested/craved clay/soil/dust (11 / 91.7 %), paper (1 / 7.1%) and chalk (1/7.1%) prior to the interview. One child had poly-pica (pica for two substance). Pica was reported to have been practised by expecting mothers during 37 (26.6%) of the pregnancies of the children involved in the study, and was mostly for clay/soil (33 / 89.1%), kola nut (5 / 3.6%), uncooked rice and bambara beans. Children's pica practices were significantly associated (χ 2 =6.33; p=0.011) with their mothers' pica practices during pregnancy as well as with mothers' pica practices at the time of the study (χ 2 =5.98; p =0.035). A logistic regression analysis seemed to show that pica of the mother during pregnancy was more strongly associated with the child's pica than later pica behaviour of the mother. Many myths and misconceptions associated with the practice of pica were also reported in these communities. Conclusions: The reported pica practice among mothers and their children was lower than what has been observed in other studies. Knowledge and perceptions regarding pica were mostly inaccurate. Education on pica and associated dangers of its practices should be included in nutrition interventions in communities with known high anemia prevalence.

Overcorrection and physical restraint procedures have been shown to be effective in controlling certain classes of maladaptive behavior in mentally retarded persons. In the present study, an alternating treatments design was used to measure the differential effects of overcorrection and physical restraint procedures in the treatment of pica. Changes in collateral behaviors were also monitored. Each occurrence of pica was followed by either an overcorrection procedure or a physical restraint procedure. Although both procedures reduced the occurrence of pica and had a similar effect on the occurrence of collateral behaviors, physical restraint was clinically more effective in terms of immediate response reduction.

We conducted functional analyses of pica for three individuals with varying levels of intellectual disabilities. In addition, two indirect assessment instruments (the Motivational Assessment Scale [MAS], and the Questions About Behavioral Function [QABF]) were also administered to both the parent and teacher of the child participants. Results of the functional analyses indicated that pica was sensitive to automatic reinforcement. Further, results of both the MAS and QABF also suggested behavioral sensitivity to automatic reinforcement.

https://www.skeptic.org.uk/2020/10/salem-witches-victims/

The paper turns away from the idea of the Salem Witch Trials and similar current-day experiences being a paranormal event. The paper, rather, proposes the psychologically-based explanation that Mass Conversion Disorder (MCD) also known as Mass Psychogenic Illness or Mass Hysteria, was the cause of the Salem ‘witch’ victims’ symptoms. The eating disorder Pica is also used in conjunction with MCD to explain symptoms afflicting the victims.

The significance of type of material eaten by 180 cases of pica (111 syob and 69 girls) was studied in relation to socio-economic environment and nutritional deficiencies. Mean (±FSD) number of non-food articles ingested by each child was 2.85 (± 1.3) and was not affected by the age or sex. Geophagy (eating of earth, mud and pieces of earthen potter) was the commonest form of pica (75%), followed by eating of wall plaster (58%). coal (44%) and chalk or slate-pencil (38%). Most of the articles eaten are crunchy. The choice of material eaten is probably related to the low socio-economic status and poor living conditions of these children. Statistically significant association was seen between eating of calcium containing articles and clinical evidence of rickets (p< 0 01) but findings in relation to other nutritional deficiencies particularly iron deficiency do not support the view that pica is a need based behaviour.

Introduction lthough foreign body ingestion is common and a benign event, serious complications occasionally require medical intervention. Irresistible and elective craving leading to repeated ingestion of such nonnutritive substances occurring over a period of at ...

Background: Iron-deficiency anemia (IDA) is a public health problem in the developing and even industrialized countries. Pregnant women and children under 5 years of age are among the high-risk population. Our main objectives in this study were to obtain the prevalence of IDA in pregnant women by routine methods and by serum ferritin. Material/methods: We analysed the blood of 270 healthy pregnant mothers, 16 weeks of gestational age. A series of determinations were conducted to determine haemoglobin concentration (Hb); red blood cells count (RBC); serum ferritin and other indexes. Then a questionnaire for epidemiological data, type of diet, level of education, laboratory data, etc. was filled. Results: The mean values (SD) of haematological indexes were as follows: Hb 12.07I1.5 g/dl; serum ferritin 24.87I19.32 ng/ml; mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) 31.9I1.4 g/dl; mean corpuscular volume (MCV) 82.2I9 fl and mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) 26.4I3.2 pg. 28.5 % of the subjects were anaemic at the time of the study according to serum ferritin (SF < 12 ng/ml) and 16.7% of the mothers had low serum Haemoglobin (Hb<11 g/dl) (P=0.005). There was a positive correlation (r=0.76; P=0.01) between Hb concentration and serum ferritin levels. Conclusions: The prevalence of IDA was 28.5%, which is the same as the prevalence found in other developing countries (25-35%). This shows that in southern Iran we are still far behind the health status in the industrialized countries (5-8%).

to verify the occurrence ratio of pica in pregnant women and its impact on the mother and newborn health. prospective study with 227 adult pregnant women and their newborns treated at the Maternity School of Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, between 2005 and 2006. Pica has been considered as the ingestion of inedible substances or atypical food combinations. The data was collected was done by medical chart review and interview. Pica was referred to by 14.4% of the women, 42.1% of whom practiced it daily. The onset occurred in the second gestational trimester in 46.7% of the cases, and, in the third trimester, in 30% of them. Among the alleged reasons, 65% of the women were unable to give them, 15% declared relief of nausea and heartburn and 10% reported reduced stress and anxiety. The practice in the previous gestation/puerperium was referred to by 15% of the women. Pica was not associated with the maternal anthropometric condition, the skin color, the marital status, the mate...

The most common form of pica, geophagy, has direct adverse nutritional effects and also exposes children to soil-borne infection. Existing methods for assessing geophagy are either inappropriate for field use (radiology) or unreliable (reporting). A new method is described, based on the measurement of soil-derived silica in stools. More than 90% of silica is excreted within one gut transit period of ingestion. The amount excreted is proportional to the amount ingested. Faecal levels of dietary silica (less than 2% dry wt stool) can be distinguished from levels due to geophagy (up to 25% dry wt stool). Studies in 2 children&#39;s homes in Jamaica showed that 33% and 66% of children were geophagous, ingesting up to 10 g soil day-1. The geophagy of less than 20% of the children accounted for greater than 60% of the total soil ingested. This overdispersion of exposure to soil-borne infection may contribute to the observed aggregation of geohelminth infection.

Purpose Cisplatin, a chemotherapeutic agent, causes significant nausea and vomiting. It is postulated that cisplatin-induced oxidant stress may be responsible for these symptoms. We tested whether pretreatment with American ginseng berry extract (AGBE), an herb with potent antioxidant capacity, and one of its active antioxidant constituents, ginsenoside Re, could counter cisplatin-induced emesis using a rat pica model. Methods In rats, exposure to emetic stimuli such as cisplatin causes significant kaolin intake, a phenomenon called pica. We therefore measured cisplatin-induced kaolin intake as an indicator of the emetic response. Rats were pretreated with vehicle, AGBE (dose range 50–150 mg/kg, IP) or ginsenoside Re (2 and 5 mg/kg, IP). Rats were treated with cisplatin (3 mg/kg, IP) 30 min later. Kaolin intake, food intake, and body weight were measured every 24 h for 120 h. Additionally, the free radical scavenging activity of AGBE was measured in vitro using ESR spectroscopy. Results A significant dose-response relationship was observed between increasing doses of pretreatment with AGBE and reduction in cisplatin-induced pica. Kaolin intake was maximally attenuated by AGBE at a dose of 100 mg/kg. Food intake also improved significantly at this dose (P<0.05). Pretreatment with ginsenoside Re (5 mg/kg) also decreased kaolin intake (P<0.05). In vitro studies demonstrated a concentration-response relationship between AGBE and its ability to scavenge superoxide and hydroxyl radicals. Conclusion Pretreatment with AGBE and its major constituent, Re, attenuated cisplatin-induced pica, and demonstrated potential for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. Significant recovery of food intake further strengthens the conclusion that AGBE may exert an antinausea/antiemetic effect.